“…I feel like everything we’ve done since coming here has been pointless,” Ryner Lute mumbled in his usual motivationless voice. He had dark hair and dark eyes. He was slim and tall, but had a chronic slouch. He was walking through the bustling city without a destination in mind.
Ferris Eris, a blonde beauty, was walking beside him, dango in hand. She spoke in her usual monotone voice. “Hmph. You say that as if your life has ever been anything but pointless.”
“Hey, don’t casually deny someone’s existence.”
“I’m not particularly denying it. Day by day, you attack women in alleyways. You’ve been promoted to the emperor of sex fiends recently due to your daily activities, haven’t you? That’s amazing. You’ve finally reached Sion’s level. How dare you continue to amass power,” she said. Instead of mixing truth and lies, his partner tended to mix lies with lies.
Ryner sighed. “Yeah, it’s gotten pointless alright.”
“Mm. You’re talking about your life, are you not?”
“I just told you not to casually deny—”
“But this dango is truly delicious,” Ferris interrupted. “I mistakenly underestimated Iyet’s dango until now.”
“Are you even listening to me?”
“Hm? Did you want me to listen to you?”
“I mean… I guess I don’t really care either way…”
It was a useless afternoon, just like it always was lately.
Just then, a group of five well-built men in black suits appeared in their periphery. They surrounded a beautiful boy with pretty black hair and sharp, intelligent black eyes. He was wearing a shrine maiden outfit.
The boy looked like he was about twelve or thirteen, and spoke in a way that one wouldn’t expect just by looking at him. “Oh, what to do? Our saying is that we spread fraternity and charity wherever we go, but our Fiurelle Group is a bit troubled at the moment - we have donated all of our money to charity, after all…”
Ryner’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. He remembered this boy. His name was Vois Fiurelle, and he was the boss of the Fiurelle Group, an organization that held a monopoly on all information in the Iyet Republic.
“What does he wan—”
“Are you telling me that you absolutely aren’t able to pay us back?” Vois asked. His men were surrounding a frightened girl of only seven or eight as well as a timid older man.
“B-but when your Fiurelle Group lent us money, you said that we could pay it back at our leisure because charity was your motto… You told us that we ought to use it to cure my daughter’s illness!”
“Are you familiar with a ‘public stance?’” Vois asked as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Of course I am,” the older man said, as if to admonish Vois. “If I may, I’ll explain it to you in detail. Say that you meet an acquaintance out in town by chance. You talk for a while, and at the end, you say this: ‘Please, come over to my place sometime. I’ll cook you a nice homemade meal.’ Then, after your next meeting, your acquaintance actually comes over to your place. They happily eat your homemade cooking. Then—”
Vois interrupted, his face gentle, but his voice colder than ice. “Then you would naturally think: ‘This guy has some nerve, actually coming over. Look at that smiling mug. Dumbass. Did this simpleton seriously think that I wanted to feed him his daily fodder? Doesn’t he know what a public stance is?’”
Vois continued. “It’s when you say something polite just because it’s rude not to. You’re nice, but timid, too. It’s impossible to say what we’re really feeling when you act like that. Thickheaded people like you end up becoming victims. In any case, this is the situation that you’ve left us in. Could you please understand our point of view?”
Ryner couldn’t help but comment on it. “Ugh, he’s still saying that horrible stuff with a smile.”
Ryner’s commentary aside, the older man was terrified. “So what should we do now? We, we don’t have any money. My daughter’s illness is cured, but it’s left us without any money at all.”
“Hmph. So you wasted our money on curing her, as if money grows on trees.”
“Yes. She’s finally recovered completely. I-I am truly grateful to you for that—”
Vois smiled sweetly, but he wouldn’t let the man finish. “No, no, there’s no need to thank us… After all, charity is part of our motto. It’s only natural that we’d do it.”
“What? Doesn’t that mean that there’s no need to pay you back?”
Vois nodded. “Of course. However, we need your daughter in exchange. You see, men everywhere are turning to degeneracy nowadays. They all want girls around her age. They would forgive our debt if we handed her over. Really, it’s wonderful. Truthfully, this outcome is what we were aiming for since the beginning… That’s the situation that we’re dealing with.”
The men in suits moved to grab the girl and tear her from her father.
“Kyah, Dad!?”
“Wait! Spare my daughter! You can have anything but her!”
“Ah, you needn’t worry,” Vois said. “You will be dead, so you won’t need to stress over what’s happening to her.”
Ryner couldn’t leave it at that. “Whoa, whoa, this is crazy!”
Vois turned to look at Ryner.
“……”
Then he turned his gaze back away and smiled widely. “Oh, but to think that the girl would be so happy about this. I’m really happy too. Hm? Money? No, no. Fraternity and charity is our Fiurelle Group’s motto. We never demand money from another. Now, then. Let us make your daughter happy…”
Then Vois turned back towards them. “Wait, aren’t those Ryner and Ferris!? Wow, what a coincidence. Ah, you saw everything, didn’t you? I’m so embarrassed. I just can’t leave people with that troubled expression on their face alone. Why? Because we practice fraternity and charity.”
“You seriously don’t understand what those words mean,” Ryner said, tired.
Vois’ expression went blank. “Hm? They meant something?”
“You have got to be kidding me.”
“Well, now, jokes aside…”
“That expression definitely wasn’t a joke!”
“Now, now. Calm down, Ryner.”
“Mm. He’s right,” Ferris said. “There is no need to get so excited about this. Attacking a minor will land you in prison—”
“It’s not that kind of excitement! Ugh, he’s up to no good again. Anyway, that was all. See ya, Vois.”
With that, Ryner and Ferris turned their backs away from him and started to walk away.
“Ah, please wait a moment,” Vois said. “The truth is that I’d like to ask you a favor. You two defeated Koch Krook’s entire gang in only a night, after all.”
“Nope,” Ryner said without even turning back to look at him. “I know it’d just turn into something bad again, you bum.”
“You will be handsomely compensated. I gave you access to our Delicious Dango Archives last time. This time, I’ll give you access to everything that you want to know.”
“Were you even listening just now? We don’t want anything to do with you—”
This time, Ferris was the one who interrupted Ryner. “Hmph. Are you saying that you would give us access to information on tea houses where the tea perfectly suits dango at no cost?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Mm. That’s that, Ryner.”
“Are you fucking kidding me!?” Ryner yelled.
Vois took the opportunity to speak, too. “Now then, about my request…”
“You, too! Don’t start without my consent!”
Ferris unsheathed her sword with her usual speed, then Ryner took his usual tired expression.
He sighed. “I kind of want to die right now…”
With that, Vois began his explanation in earnest.
---
They were at a nearby cafe. Vois had a serious expression on his face.
“This is all I’m asking for. At this very moment, the world itself is falling down the path of destruction. We are all in great danger.”
Ryner had absolutely no interest in their conversation. “So the world’s being destroyed, huh… Sounds fake, but okay…”
Vois ignored Ryner, because why wouldn’t he. “As you know, the Iyet Republic doesn’t have much of a government. Instead, it is made up of monopolies. For example, the transportation industry is owned by this group, and the gambling industry is owned by another. Information is handled by our fraternal and charitable Fiurelle Group. Due to the nature of our commodities, well…”
Ryner nodded. “You’re trying to say that there are lots of big companies, right? But ultimately, the strongest one isn’t the one with the biggest army or the biggest organization. It’s the one who controls the information.”
“That’s exactly right. We are the top organization in this country, and because we’re at the top, we face everyone with charity and fr—”
“Ugh, enough. You sell drugs and take girls so you can sell them, too. I don’t want to hear about your public stance. What did you want us to do?” Ryner asked, fed up with Vois.
Vois nodded, an earnest expression on his face. “You see, there is another organization in the Iyet Republic running shoulder-to-shoulder with the Fiurelle group.”
“Hm. So how are you dealing with them?”
“…I’ll give you everything. I’ll give you access to every genre of information that you could possibly want. That organization is threatening us. No, perhaps it’s better to say that they’re committing fraud against us? They control ‘lies.’ See, they’re unscrupulous, unlike us.”
“I don’t want to hear you of all people calling others unscrupulous,” Ryner said.
“Mm. But one could say the same of you, the king of the night, the demon who assaults women…”
“Don’t lump me in with him!”
“Hm? Here I thought you’d have a sense of camaraderie with a fellow deviant criminal—”
“I’m not a deviant! Ugh, talking to you is a pain, so just shut up for a sec. Anyway, where were we…?”
Vois clenched his fist. “I told you, the fate of the world is at stake here!”
Ryner furrowed his brow. “Hmm… I feel like that’s not what we were talking about, but okay… So?”
“Yes. You see, that atrocious organization has been relatively quiet up until now. They’d halted their activities due to their leader traveling the world… But see, he returned to Iyet a few days ago!” Vois said, all fired up.
In contrast, Ryner still looked bored at best. “Oh, that sucks. Man, that reaaalllyyy sucks. So what do you want us to do about it?”
“You ask that, but isn’t it obvious? This horrid organization would cause the people to suffer. We cannot stand by and allow that to happen. Not as we practice fraternity and charity! They must be punished!”
“From my point of view, you’re the ones who should be punished, but okay,” Ryner said. “But I guess I still have to—”
Vois interrupted Ryner yet again. “But we who hate fighting would be no match for them. Their leader is simply too strong. My request is that you capture him. What do you think?”
“Uh, I don’t really think anything… I’m just not committed to the cause.”
But then the expressionless beauty next to him spoke. “Mm. We accept. In exchange, you must show us information on not only the best tea houses in Iyet, but also their history.”
“Who even cares about that shit,” Ryner mumbled. “We have a duty to fulfill, but you only care about dango, which has nothing to do with it.”
Ferris stared for a moment, silent, as if deep in thought. Then, “Ah, right. That too.”
“Ah! Ah! You forgot about that, didn’t you, asshole! We really need to get back on track…” Then Ryner slammed his palms against his despair-stricken face. “No, wait, that’s not it! What am I saying, ‘let’s work on our mission!’ Listen to what you made me say! I want to abandon our mission. I wanted to grow old while napping peacefully. Didn’t I?”
“Mm. While attacking women in the night—”
“I’m telling you, I don’t do that! Anyway, I get it. We’ll do it. We’ll get the info we need, then leave this godforsaken city. It’s just too dangerous. It’s destroying me and turning me into someone who gives a shit about working.”
Vois smiled widely. “Then it’s settled! I knew it, our belief in the principles of fraternity and charity moved you!”
Ryner sighed, exhausted. “Even I feel like I’m starting to forget what those words mean,” he muttered.
---
Now, to backtrack to that morning.
They were in a bustling area of the harbor.
Last night, Luke and the others had found Milk Callaud discarded by a dumpster on a street corner, but now they were here.
“Hey, hey, Luke! Look at those super pretty rocks she’s selling! I wanna see them!” Her sheer energy was incredible. She had a flaxen ponytail and a pretty face. She was an innocent sixteen year old girl who’d rush towards something she wanted as soon as she saw it, but…
“Ah! No, Chief Milk! Don’t go too far. You were just kidnapped, after all… It’s dangerous for a girl to walk the streets by herself! Please understand that!” Luke said as he pulled Milk back tightly to protect her.
Her subordinates - Lach, Lear, and Moe - gathered close, too.
“He’s right, Chief. We were worried sick yesterday.”
“Yes. We’d worried that you were out on the streets all night.”
“You can’t do that! Your curfew is six on the dot.”
Milk was dejected. “Uuh… I’m sorry.”
This was the elite leader of a band of Taboo Hunters… What exactly were they doing, talking about how she wasn’t allowed out at night because of her curfew…?
Well, whatever. Her subordinates looked around with the guarded expressions of strict parents. Milk was right - there was some kind of odd stranger nearby. It was a woman whose whole body was concealed by a red cloak. She’d gathered up a number of stones and spread them out before herself. They were dyed in various colors, but it could hardly be called elaborate… They were just colored rocks.
The woman took notice of them. “Muhuh! Hath calamity stricken you as of late?”
“Huh!? How’d you know?” Milk asked, easily eating her schtick up.
Milk’s subordinates sighed, but the woman didn’t mind them. “I can see it,” she said. “A great calamity will soon strike this girl’s future. Yes… Perhaps a bad man will come to follow you…”
“Wha!? Is that true?” This time Luke was the one who ate it up…
“Huh? Huh? Is Ryner the bad man?” Milk asked. “Is this about Ryner? Uwawah, wh, what should I do? He really did remember our promise to get married… I wonder if that’s part of why he fled Roland as a Taboo Breaker?”
Luke, Lach, Moe, and Lear all paled, their minds in an instant turmoil.
“N-no! You can’t, Chief!”
“We won’t forgive that tired man!”
“Lach’s right! We can’t forgive him!”
They were supposed to be chasing down and catching Ryner, since he was a Taboo Breaker and they were Taboo Hunters and all, but apparently the conversation had become one about parents forbidding their lovestruck daughter from dating…
Lear was the only one who kept his cool. He sighed. “Still, we’re in trouble. This fortune teller could sum it up easily. Yes, our Chief was cursed by a god of death to fall for a bum. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but let’s solve this once and for all.”
“Can we solve it?” Luke asked, surprised.
Lear shook his head. “Not us. But if we could simply buy a solution… Can you do that, Miss Fortune Teller?”
The fortune teller nodded, solemn. “That is exactly what I do. I alone can save this girl. So, do you want her to be saved? Then let us offer the sacred wine to the god of death.”
“How much?”
“I need not money. I follow the path that God’s voice carves for me… I cannot leave a girl possessed by an evil god alone. As proof, take one of my stones, girl. This pink stone will fulfill one’s love - it is very popular with girls.
She presented the stone to Milk, who took it with an expression of wonder.
“Yay! Look, look, everyone! She gave me such a pretty stone!” She said. She was just so happy to receive a dyed rock.
“Good for you, Chief,” Luke said, his face full of kindness.
“Yeah!”
As usual, their conversation was probably more suited to one in a preschool. That aside…
“So what’s the secret wine that you mentioned?” Lear asked.
The woman moved her hand to a leather bag at her side and reached in. She pulled out a gourd-like container and five small cups. “Now, you must drink this divine wine. Once you do, all of your misfortune will disappear, and a future of happiness shall await you.”
They each took one of the five cups with matching serious expressions.
“To think that you would be so generous to us,” Luke said. “And at no cost… You’re a true fortune teller, aren’t you?”
“No, I am my god’s shrine maiden. Now, then. Let us drink the sacred wine with a single swig to avoid calamity.”
Milk nodded, then gulped it down… And then!
“Huh? My head’s spinning…”
Milk flopped down, her consciousness gone in an instant. Then, her subordinates…
“Ch-chief… You… what did you make us drink…?”
The woman in red smiled, satisfied, as Milk’s subordinates fell one by one, until they were all out.
---
Back to that afternoon.
A shocking amount of people were gathered on a street corner. Ryner, Ferris, and Vois waded through the crowd before their eyes landed on that.
Everyone was gathered around a wooden pedestal. No, rather than gathered, they were all standing in a line leading to it.
A woman shrouded in red stood upon the pedestal. She’d reach her hand out to the front of the line, whisper something to whoever stood there, and then they’d bow their head in respect for her. Something about it was just off, like they were practicing a suspicious and potentially dangerous religion.
Vois pointed at her with a serious expression. “The robed woman on the pedestal is their leader.”
“Don’t you think that this is like… really, really trashy?” Ryner asked, already tired. “I mean, it’s amazing that she’s got so many people here, but… She’s on a plain pedestal. It’s just wood. Nothing is on it. It looks cheap as hell…”
“You can’t underestimate her, Ryner,” Vois said, serious to the end. “You too, Ferris.”
Ferris nodded with a grave expression. “Mh. That’s right. The dango sold by street stalls isn’t bad. You mustn’t look down on it. The way of dango is truly deep,” she said, then took a bite of her dango, which was covered with red bean paste.
“Right?” Vois said. “Like I said, you shouldn’t underestimate anything based on appearance alone.”
“Mm.”
“Hey, don’t tell me that you two are gonna stand there and have a conversation,” Ryner said.
“Hm? About what?” Vois asked.
“Hmph. You have nothing to add to our dango conversation?”
They hadn’t been listening to him since the beginning… It just kept happening. He was starting to get philosophical about it. “No, I… Whatever. I’m used to it… So what was the point again?”
Vois hit his palm with his fist, as if suddenly remembering that there was a point in the first place. “Ah, right. It was about how frightening these guys really are,” he started.
“My sources say that she was selling rocks she found on the side of the road just a few hours ago,” Vois continued. “Despite using tactics that no one would ordinarily call successful, she was able to sell her goods. Look at her now. In the span of a few hours, she became an object of worship, and amassed all of these believers. See that line? She could unite the world under her rule in the span of a few days! How frightening!”
“Whoa, hey, world unification is a stretch… There’s no way that’s happening. It is pretty impressive that she’s gotten this popular in a few hours, though. They could become a massive organization easily. That’s why the Fiurelle Group can’t leave them alone, right?”
“Exactly! We cannot stand by and watch them force suffering upon the people. We cannot allow them to destroy the world. That’s why I would like you to capture her.”
“And you’ll let us use all of your info for free if we do?”
“Yes. That’s how valuable capturing her is.”
Ryner nodded. “Guess we don’t have a choice. Let’s check things out. Come on, Ferris.”
“Mm.”
And so they waited in line.
It took time, but they eventually reached the front, and—
Several men surrounded them. “God’s shrine maiden will now tell your fortune. Be grateful to her.”
“Yes, yes. Thanks so much,” Ryner said, going for the bare minimum, wholly lacking enthusiasm.
“Then send your best regards to the shrine maiden,” one of the men said.
The woman in red nodded pretentiously, then stood. “Mm. Something is troubling you, is it not? A woman and a man standing before me want only one thing: you desire a compatibility test.”
Ryner had no words. He just cradled his head in his hands, then mumbled to himself in blank amazement. “This voice… This way of speaking…”
The woman continued, not bothered by Ryner in the slightest. “I understand, I do. However, I have reservations. You show your worst side to women.”
“Hey, that’s kinda rude—”
Ferris stared, fixated for a moment. “Mmh. At some point, I… Your special ability where just talking to a woman can make her pregnant ended up…”
“That’s impossible! But more importantly, the leader here is—”
“Furthermore,” the woman continued, “That expressionless woman who eats nothing but dango may boast about her beauty, however, there is always someone greater. You must understand as you have met me, shrine maiden of a beautiful god. All who see me prostrate themselves before myself in honor of my sublime beauty. Now, you half-baked beauty, understand that your future is hopeless! Marry this 10,000 year napper and live a snug little life where the sun doesn’t shine!”
Murderous intent shot from Ferris’ body. Her eyes narrowed. “Hmph. Ryner, playtime is over. We’re capturing this vehement woman of a leader.”
The woman laughed. “Finally admitting your defeat, 10,000 year old dango girl? You cannot win against my shining beauty!”
With that, she threw her cloak away to reveal a familiar face. She wore a shrine maiden outfit, and to be frank, her inhuman beauty rivaled Ferris’. She had glossy black hair and charming blakc eyes, as well as a perfect body with smooth skin. She appeared to be about sixteen or seventeen years old. And Ryner knew her.
They’d met twice. She’d pretended to be a mountain goddess the first time and a sea goddess the second time, and both times she made a killing doing it. It looked like she was a shrine maiden this time… Apparently she was the leader of the so-called swindling organization too.
“Es—”
Ryner had tried to say her name, but he was interrupted.
“So you’ve finally decided to show yourself!” Vois said from where he’d been hidden just out of sight. “You, the reigning leader of the swindling organization that plagues our land - Estella Fiurelle!”
Ryner grimaced. “Haah? Hey, wait a sec. The hell is this? Vois, did you just call her a Fiurelle?”
“Hm, did I say something? What was it?”
“Don’t play dumb. Why’d you call her Fiure…”
Ryner’s voice trailed off. He looked at Vois. Then at Estella.
“…You guys have the same hair and eyes… and you’re both wearing shrine maiden outfits… Don’t tell me that you guys are…”
Vois nodded, not fighting it at all. “Yes, we’re siblings.”
“So this is just a sibling’s quarrel!?” Ryner yelled.
“No, it isn’t that simple,” Vois said with the shake of his head. “There was bad blood between her and the head of our group at the time, our grandma, so… Estella left our organization and created a large organization of her own, see. One that rivals the Fiurelle Group.”
“…So basically, she ran away from home.”
Vois took a grave expression. “As I said, it isn’t that simple. She was our grandmother’s enemy.”
“Wha!? Don’t tell me she killed her,” Ryner said, then looked back to Estella. She’d been glaring at Ferris for some time now, but…
“Hmph. But Vois,” Estella said, “Whatever happened to our grandmother, all but her head buried alive?”
“Oh, I became the leader instead,” Vois said as if Estella’s words didn’t concern him in the slightest. “She was too loud anyway.”
“You still haven’t dug her up!?”
“Oh, but fear not!” Vois said. “We never forget to feed her, so you don’t need to worry—”
“Anyone would worry! You don’t plan on ever digging her up, do you?” Ryner asked. “I’m adding ‘fear not’ to the list of words you clearly don’t know!”
Vois and Estella both opened their mouths and spoke as one.
““Well, enough talk of things nobody cares about.””
“That’s horrible! Ugh, I’m getting another headache… We never should have accepted another job from this guy. Anyway, I’m going home… Go ahead and have your sibling quarrel without me. Bye.”
With that, Ryner began to drag his fatigued body away.
“Heh. So you’re running away,” Estella said. “More proof that my beauty surpasses yours. Now, hurry and leave with thyne tail between—”
“Say that and it’ll just prolong—”
Ryner spoke too late. Ferris’ hand shot out and grabbed Ryner’s neck from behind. “Who exactly do you think would run from an opponent of her low-level beauty?”
“…This shit again…”
Ryner cursed the path that his life was taking.
Vois ignored Ryner no matter how tired of life he may be. “Now, please capture that incarnation of evil! I’ll bury her just like she buried our grandma! I’ll keep her like a hen that can’t lay eggs!”
“Seriously, don’t wrap me up in your problems…”
Ferris spoke next. “I’ll show you the power of a true… beauty… um… I’ll teach you a lesson…”
“Don’t say it if you’re just going to get embarrassed halfw—”
“Hmph. So you’re fighting,” Estella said. “It will be me versus you, the dead fish woman and her personal lackey and final weapon, the demon of legend! Come, my servants!”
“I’m begging you, so can someone just listen to me…?” Ryner asked pitifully, but the final blow was that no one did…
Five men with large, sturdy bags answered to Estella’s call. They turned their bags over with ease, and out came five familiar people, one per bag.
“What…”
It was Milk and the others. Ryner had once promised to marry her and stuff. One could say that his promise resulted in a demon sprouting from the legends it belonged to in order to obstinately chase him, a Taboo Hunter from Roland tracking a Taboo Breaker down.
“……”
What could he even say? He already had to deal with Ferris, Estella, and Vois, and now Milk was joining the fray.
“Ah, am I dreaming?” Ryner wondered. “Like, is this a ‘it was all a dream’ episode? That means that it won’t hurt if I pinch my cheek, right?” So he pinched it. “See? It doesn’t hurt. Aha. I’m so glad this is just a dream. Yeah, it’s just unrealistic that all the bad luck in the world would fall on me. Okay, I’m going to sleep now, so please no one wake me up.”
Ryner ignored the tingling pain in his cheek and did his best to escape reality. He tried to ignore everything around him, but…
Milk stirred. “Huh? Was that drink the reason why I suddenly got so dizzy? My whole body feels hot… It’s really weird.”
Next was that Lear guy. “Kgh. This is bad. It appears that an aphrodisiac and sleep medicine were mixed into that wine… Staying rational is tough. It sure would be bad if that man were here, because Chief…”
“Th-this is terrible,” Luke said.
“Uuh, do we have any water?” Milk asked. “My ears are pounding… Wh…”
Then she noticed Ryner, who was lying on the ground trying to escape reality.
“Ryneeeeerrrr I found youuuuu!!”
The voice of the devil echoed through the street.
Milk’s fingers immediately flitted through the air to cast large-scale destructive magi without a shred of hesitation.
“Augh, shit! Why are you always like this!?” Ryner yelled.
Estella forced laughter. “Now go, my final weapons! For the sake of your beautiful goddess’ shrine maiden, rout the supporting cas… t…”
Milk’s spell exploded in a gale, slamming against everyone in her vicinity, particularly those who were closest to her—Estella and Vois, first and foremost, then Estella’s believers, then Luke and Milk’s other subordinates…
“Mrgh! You dastardly dango woman!” Estella yelled as the storm took her away. “You’ve caught me off guard with this, coward! Thou had best live in fear of my world-shattering beauty; until next time!”
“…‘Until next time?’ Ryner repeated. “I’d really rather not see her again…”
Ferris nodded, somehow satisfied. “This is proof that that Estella girl is nothing but a supporting character. I am the beautiful protagonist who remains on the stage at the end…”
Ferris’ words trailed off. The storm of destruction hadn’t stopped. It was still expanding, slowly drawing closer, indiscriminately pulling people in and throwing them away.
“That’s our final issue,” Ferris said, as calm as ever. “Though it isn’t much of an issue for me.”
“Huh? Are you telling me that you can cancel Milk’s spell?” Ryner asked. “Even though you can’t use magic?”
Ferris nodded. “Because I’m the protagonist.”
“The hell? Oh, but if you can do it yourself, then that makes things easy for me. So how are you gonna do it?”
“Mm. Like this.” Ferris grabbed him by the collar, then pulled him down with all of her strength.
“Uwah!? Wait, what are you doing!?” Ryner tried asking, but it was no use. He couldn’t do anything to stop it. He was thrown straight into the storm.
“Ah!” Milk said once he came into view. “I found youuu, Ryner!”
For some reason, she jumped right into the gale with him.
“Kyaahh!”
Ryner was past the point of being shocked at the absurdity happening around him. Now he was just exhausted. “Ahh, so that’s what she meant. Personally, though, I really hate the concept of me being a character in a story that she’s the protagonist in… Uwah, Milk!? Gyaahh!”
And so the two disappeared within the storm…
---
Several hours later, in the destroyed corner of the harbor, Ryner and Milk were laying on top of each other, knocked out cold, the pink stone beside them…
Does that mean that it worked?
“…I feel like everything we’ve done since coming here has been pointless,” Ryner Lute mumbled in his usual motivationless voice. He had dark hair and dark eyes. He was slim and tall, but had a chronic slouch. He was walking through the bustling city without a destination in mind.
Ferris Eris, a blonde beauty, was walking beside him, dango in hand. She spoke in her usual monotone voice. “Hmph. You say that as if your life has ever been anything but pointless.”
“Hey, don’t casually deny someone’s existence.”
“I’m not particularly denying it. Day by day, you attack women in alleyways. You’ve been promoted to the emperor of sex fiends recently due to your daily activities, haven’t you? That’s amazing. You’ve finally reached Sion’s level. How dare you continue to amass power,” she said. Instead of mixing truth and lies, his partner tended to mix lies with lies.
Ryner sighed. “Yeah, it’s gotten pointless alright.”
“Mm. You’re talking about your life, are you not?”
“I just told you not to casually deny—”
“But this dango is truly delicious,” Ferris interrupted. “I mistakenly underestimated Iyet’s dango until now.”
“Are you even listening to me?”
“Hm? Did you want me to listen to you?”
“I mean… I guess I don’t really care either way…”
It was a useless afternoon, just like it always was lately.
Just then, a group of five well-built men in black suits appeared in their periphery. They surrounded a beautiful boy with pretty black hair and sharp, intelligent black eyes. He was wearing a shrine maiden outfit.
The boy looked like he was about twelve or thirteen, and spoke in a way that one wouldn’t expect just by looking at him. “Oh, what to do? Our saying is that we spread fraternity and charity wherever we go, but our Fiurelle Group is a bit troubled at the moment - we have donated all of our money to charity, after all…”
Ryner’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. He remembered this boy. His name was Vois Fiurelle, and he was the boss of the Fiurelle Group, an organization that held a monopoly on all information in the Iyet Republic.
“What does he wan—”
“Are you telling me that you absolutely aren’t able to pay us back?” Vois asked. His men were surrounding a frightened girl of only seven or eight as well as a timid older man.
“B-but when your Fiurelle Group lent us money, you said that we could pay it back at our leisure because charity was your motto… You told us that we ought to use it to cure my daughter’s illness!”
“Are you familiar with a ‘public stance?’” Vois asked as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Of course I am,” the older man said, as if to admonish Vois. “If I may, I’ll explain it to you in detail. Say that you meet an acquaintance out in town by chance. You talk for a while, and at the end, you say this: ‘Please, come over to my place sometime. I’ll cook you a nice homemade meal.’ Then, after your next meeting, your acquaintance actually comes over to your place. They happily eat your homemade cooking. Then—”
Vois interrupted, his face gentle, but his voice colder than ice. “Then you would naturally think: ‘This guy has some nerve, actually coming over. Look at that smiling mug. Dumbass. Did this simpleton seriously think that I wanted to feed him his daily fodder? Doesn’t he know what a public stance is?’”
Vois continued. “It’s when you say something polite just because it’s rude not to. You’re nice, but timid, too. It’s impossible to say what we’re really feeling when you act like that. Thickheaded people like you end up becoming victims. In any case, this is the situation that you’ve left us in. Could you please understand our point of view?”
Ryner couldn’t help but comment on it. “Ugh, he’s still saying that horrible stuff with a smile.”
Ryner’s commentary aside, the older man was terrified. “So what should we do now? We, we don’t have any money. My daughter’s illness is cured, but it’s left us without any money at all.”
“Hmph. So you wasted our money on curing her, as if money grows on trees.”
“Yes. She’s finally recovered completely. I-I am truly grateful to you for that—”
Vois smiled sweetly, but he wouldn’t let the man finish. “No, no, there’s no need to thank us… After all, charity is part of our motto. It’s only natural that we’d do it.”
“What? Doesn’t that mean that there’s no need to pay you back?”
Vois nodded. “Of course. However, we need your daughter in exchange. You see, men everywhere are turning to degeneracy nowadays. They all want girls around her age. They would forgive our debt if we handed her over. Really, it’s wonderful. Truthfully, this outcome is what we were aiming for since the beginning… That’s the situation that we’re dealing with.”
The men in suits moved to grab the girl and tear her from her father.
“Kyah, Dad!?”
“Wait! Spare my daughter! You can have anything but her!”
“Ah, you needn’t worry,” Vois said. “You will be dead, so you won’t need to stress over what’s happening to her.”
Ryner couldn’t leave it at that. “Whoa, whoa, this is crazy!”
Vois turned to look at Ryner.
“……”
Then he turned his gaze back away and smiled widely. “Oh, but to think that the girl would be so happy about this. I’m really happy too. Hm? Money? No, no. Fraternity and charity is our Fiurelle Group’s motto. We never demand money from another. Now, then. Let us make your daughter happy…”
Then Vois turned back towards them. “Wait, aren’t those Ryner and Ferris!? Wow, what a coincidence. Ah, you saw everything, didn’t you? I’m so embarrassed. I just can’t leave people with that troubled expression on their face alone. Why? Because we practice fraternity and charity.”
“You seriously don’t understand what those words mean,” Ryner said, tired.
Vois’ expression went blank. “Hm? They meant something?”
“You have got to be kidding me.”
“Well, now, jokes aside…”
“That expression definitely wasn’t a joke!”
“Now, now. Calm down, Ryner.”
“Mm. He’s right,” Ferris said. “There is no need to get so excited about this. Attacking a minor will land you in prison—”
“It’s not that kind of excitement! Ugh, he’s up to no good again. Anyway, that was all. See ya, Vois.”
With that, Ryner and Ferris turned their backs away from him and started to walk away.
“Ah, please wait a moment,” Vois said. “The truth is that I’d like to ask you a favor. You two defeated Koch Krook’s entire gang in only a night, after all.”
“Nope,” Ryner said without even turning back to look at him. “I know it’d just turn into something bad again, you bum.”
“You will be handsomely compensated. I gave you access to our Delicious Dango Archives last time. This time, I’ll give you access to everything that you want to know.”
“Were you even listening just now? We don’t want anything to do with you—”
This time, Ferris was the one who interrupted Ryner. “Hmph. Are you saying that you would give us access to information on tea houses where the tea perfectly suits dango at no cost?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Mm. That’s that, Ryner.”
“Are you fucking kidding me!?” Ryner yelled.
Vois took the opportunity to speak, too. “Now then, about my request…”
“You, too! Don’t start without my consent!”
Ferris unsheathed her sword with her usual speed, then Ryner took his usual tired expression.
He sighed. “I kind of want to die right now…”
With that, Vois began his explanation in earnest.
---
They were at a nearby cafe. Vois had a serious expression on his face.
“This is all I’m asking for. At this very moment, the world itself is falling down the path of destruction. We are all in great danger.”
Ryner had absolutely no interest in their conversation. “So the world’s being destroyed, huh… Sounds fake, but okay…”
Vois ignored Ryner, because why wouldn’t he. “As you know, the Iyet Republic doesn’t have much of a government. Instead, it is made up of monopolies. For example, the transportation industry is owned by this group, and the gambling industry is owned by another. Information is handled by our fraternal and charitable Fiurelle Group. Due to the nature of our commodities, well…”
Ryner nodded. “You’re trying to say that there are lots of big companies, right? But ultimately, the strongest one isn’t the one with the biggest army or the biggest organization. It’s the one who controls the information.”
“That’s exactly right. We are the top organization in this country, and because we’re at the top, we face everyone with charity and fr—”
“Ugh, enough. You sell drugs and take girls so you can sell them, too. I don’t want to hear about your public stance. What did you want us to do?” Ryner asked, fed up with Vois.
Vois nodded, an earnest expression on his face. “You see, there is another organization in the Iyet Republic running shoulder-to-shoulder with the Fiurelle group.”
“Hm. So how are you dealing with them?”
“…I’ll give you everything. I’ll give you access to every genre of information that you could possibly want. That organization is threatening us. No, perhaps it’s better to say that they’re committing fraud against us? They control ‘lies.’ See, they’re unscrupulous, unlike us.”
“I don’t want to hear you of all people calling others unscrupulous,” Ryner said.
“Mm. But one could say the same of you, the king of the night, the demon who assaults women…”
“Don’t lump me in with him!”
“Hm? Here I thought you’d have a sense of camaraderie with a fellow deviant criminal—”
“I’m not a deviant! Ugh, talking to you is a pain, so just shut up for a sec. Anyway, where were we…?”
Vois clenched his fist. “I told you, the fate of the world is at stake here!”
Ryner furrowed his brow. “Hmm… I feel like that’s not what we were talking about, but okay… So?”
“Yes. You see, that atrocious organization has been relatively quiet up until now. They’d halted their activities due to their leader traveling the world… But see, he returned to Iyet a few days ago!” Vois said, all fired up.
In contrast, Ryner still looked bored at best. “Oh, that sucks. Man, that reaaalllyyy sucks. So what do you want us to do about it?”
“You ask that, but isn’t it obvious? This horrid organization would cause the people to suffer. We cannot stand by and allow that to happen. Not as we practice fraternity and charity! They must be punished!”
“From my point of view, you’re the ones who should be punished, but okay,” Ryner said. “But I guess I still have to—”
Vois interrupted Ryner yet again. “But we who hate fighting would be no match for them. Their leader is simply too strong. My request is that you capture him. What do you think?”
“Uh, I don’t really think anything… I’m just not committed to the cause.”
But then the expressionless beauty next to him spoke. “Mm. We accept. In exchange, you must show us information on not only the best tea houses in Iyet, but also their history.”
“Who even cares about that shit,” Ryner mumbled. “We have a duty to fulfill, but you only care about dango, which has nothing to do with it.”
Ferris stared for a moment, silent, as if deep in thought. Then, “Ah, right. That too.”
“Ah! Ah! You forgot about that, didn’t you, asshole! We really need to get back on track…” Then Ryner slammed his palms against his despair-stricken face. “No, wait, that’s not it! What am I saying, ‘let’s work on our mission!’ Listen to what you made me say! I want to abandon our mission. I wanted to grow old while napping peacefully. Didn’t I?”
“Mm. While attacking women in the night—”
“I’m telling you, I don’t do that! Anyway, I get it. We’ll do it. We’ll get the info we need, then leave this godforsaken city. It’s just too dangerous. It’s destroying me and turning me into someone who gives a shit about working.”
Vois smiled widely. “Then it’s settled! I knew it, our belief in the principles of fraternity and charity moved you!”
Ryner sighed, exhausted. “Even I feel like I’m starting to forget what those words mean,” he muttered.
---
Now, to backtrack to that morning.
They were in a bustling area of the harbor.
Last night, Luke and the others had found Milk Callaud discarded by a dumpster on a street corner, but now they were here.
“Hey, hey, Luke! Look at those super pretty rocks she’s selling! I wanna see them!” Her sheer energy was incredible. She had a flaxen ponytail and a pretty face. She was an innocent sixteen year old girl who’d rush towards something she wanted as soon as she saw it, but…
“Ah! No, Chief Milk! Don’t go too far. You were just kidnapped, after all… It’s dangerous for a girl to walk the streets by herself! Please understand that!” Luke said as he pulled Milk back tightly to protect her.
Her subordinates - Lach, Lear, and Moe - gathered close, too.
“He’s right, Chief. We were worried sick yesterday.”
“Yes. We’d worried that you were out on the streets all night.”
“You can’t do that! Your curfew is six on the dot.”
Milk was dejected. “Uuh… I’m sorry.”
This was the elite leader of a band of Taboo Hunters… What exactly were they doing, talking about how she wasn’t allowed out at night because of her curfew…?
Well, whatever. Her subordinates looked around with the guarded expressions of strict parents. Milk was right - there was some kind of odd stranger nearby. It was a woman whose whole body was concealed by a red cloak. She’d gathered up a number of stones and spread them out before herself. They were dyed in various colors, but it could hardly be called elaborate… They were just colored rocks.
The woman took notice of them. “Muhuh! Hath calamity stricken you as of late?”
“Huh!? How’d you know?” Milk asked, easily eating her schtick up.
Milk’s subordinates sighed, but the woman didn’t mind them. “I can see it,” she said. “A great calamity will soon strike this girl’s future. Yes… Perhaps a bad man will come to follow you…”
“Wha!? Is that true?” This time Luke was the one who ate it up…
“Huh? Huh? Is Ryner the bad man?” Milk asked. “Is this about Ryner? Uwawah, wh, what should I do? He really did remember our promise to get married… I wonder if that’s part of why he fled Roland as a Taboo Breaker?”
Luke, Lach, Moe, and Lear all paled, their minds in an instant turmoil.
“N-no! You can’t, Chief!”
“We won’t forgive that tired man!”
“Lach’s right! We can’t forgive him!”
They were supposed to be chasing down and catching Ryner, since he was a Taboo Breaker and they were Taboo Hunters and all, but apparently the conversation had become one about parents forbidding their lovestruck daughter from dating…
Lear was the only one who kept his cool. He sighed. “Still, we’re in trouble. This fortune teller could sum it up easily. Yes, our Chief was cursed by a god of death to fall for a bum. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but let’s solve this once and for all.”
“Can we solve it?” Luke asked, surprised.
Lear shook his head. “Not us. But if we could simply buy a solution… Can you do that, Miss Fortune Teller?”
The fortune teller nodded, solemn. “That is exactly what I do. I alone can save this girl. So, do you want her to be saved? Then let us offer the sacred wine to the god of death.”
“How much?”
“I need not money. I follow the path that God’s voice carves for me… I cannot leave a girl possessed by an evil god alone. As proof, take one of my stones, girl. This pink stone will fulfill one’s love - it is very popular with girls.
She presented the stone to Milk, who took it with an expression of wonder.
“Yay! Look, look, everyone! She gave me such a pretty stone!” She said. She was just so happy to receive a dyed rock.
“Good for you, Chief,” Luke said, his face full of kindness.
“Yeah!”
As usual, their conversation was probably more suited to one in a preschool. That aside…
“So what’s the secret wine that you mentioned?” Lear asked.
The woman moved her hand to a leather bag at her side and reached in. She pulled out a gourd-like container and five small cups. “Now, you must drink this divine wine. Once you do, all of your misfortune will disappear, and a future of happiness shall await you.”
They each took one of the five cups with matching serious expressions.
“To think that you would be so generous to us,” Luke said. “And at no cost… You’re a true fortune teller, aren’t you?”
“No, I am my god’s shrine maiden. Now, then. Let us drink the sacred wine with a single swig to avoid calamity.”
Milk nodded, then gulped it down… And then!
“Huh? My head’s spinning…”
Milk flopped down, her consciousness gone in an instant. Then, her subordinates…
“Ch-chief… You… what did you make us drink…?”
The woman in red smiled, satisfied, as Milk’s subordinates fell one by one, until they were all out.
---
Back to that afternoon.
A shocking amount of people were gathered on a street corner. Ryner, Ferris, and Vois waded through the crowd before their eyes landed on that.
Everyone was gathered around a wooden pedestal. No, rather than gathered, they were all standing in a line leading to it.
A woman shrouded in red stood upon the pedestal. She’d reach her hand out to the front of the line, whisper something to whoever stood there, and then they’d bow their head in respect for her. Something about it was just off, like they were practicing a suspicious and potentially dangerous religion.
Vois pointed at her with a serious expression. “The robed woman on the pedestal is their leader.”
“Don’t you think that this is like… really, really trashy?” Ryner asked, already tired. “I mean, it’s amazing that she’s got so many people here, but… She’s on a plain pedestal. It’s just wood. Nothing is on it. It looks cheap as hell…”
“You can’t underestimate her, Ryner,” Vois said, serious to the end. “You too, Ferris.”
Ferris nodded with a grave expression. “Mh. That’s right. The dango sold by street stalls isn’t bad. You mustn’t look down on it. The way of dango is truly deep,” she said, then took a bite of her dango, which was covered with red bean paste.
“Right?” Vois said. “Like I said, you shouldn’t underestimate anything based on appearance alone.”
“Mm.”
“Hey, don’t tell me that you two are gonna stand there and have a conversation,” Ryner said.
“Hm? About what?” Vois asked.
“Hmph. You have nothing to add to our dango conversation?”
They hadn’t been listening to him since the beginning… It just kept happening. He was starting to get philosophical about it. “No, I… Whatever. I’m used to it… So what was the point again?”
Vois hit his palm with his fist, as if suddenly remembering that there was a point in the first place. “Ah, right. It was about how frightening these guys really are,” he started.
“My sources say that she was selling rocks she found on the side of the road just a few hours ago,” Vois continued. “Despite using tactics that no one would ordinarily call successful, she was able to sell her goods. Look at her now. In the span of a few hours, she became an object of worship, and amassed all of these believers. See that line? She could unite the world under her rule in the span of a few days! How frightening!”
“Whoa, hey, world unification is a stretch… There’s no way that’s happening. It is pretty impressive that she’s gotten this popular in a few hours, though. They could become a massive organization easily. That’s why the Fiurelle Group can’t leave them alone, right?”
“Exactly! We cannot stand by and watch them force suffering upon the people. We cannot allow them to destroy the world. That’s why I would like you to capture her.”
“And you’ll let us use all of your info for free if we do?”
“Yes. That’s how valuable capturing her is.”
Ryner nodded. “Guess we don’t have a choice. Let’s check things out. Come on, Ferris.”
“Mm.”
And so they waited in line.
It took time, but they eventually reached the front, and—
Several men surrounded them. “God’s shrine maiden will now tell your fortune. Be grateful to her.”
“Yes, yes. Thanks so much,” Ryner said, going for the bare minimum, wholly lacking enthusiasm.
“Then send your best regards to the shrine maiden,” one of the men said.
The woman in red nodded pretentiously, then stood. “Mm. Something is troubling you, is it not? A woman and a man standing before me want only one thing: you desire a compatibility test.”
Ryner had no words. He just cradled his head in his hands, then mumbled to himself in blank amazement. “This voice… This way of speaking…”
The woman continued, not bothered by Ryner in the slightest. “I understand, I do. However, I have reservations. You show your worst side to women.”
“Hey, that’s kinda rude—”
Ferris stared, fixated for a moment. “Mmh. At some point, I… Your special ability where just talking to a woman can make her pregnant ended up…”
“That’s impossible! But more importantly, the leader here is—”
“Furthermore,” the woman continued, “That expressionless woman who eats nothing but dango may boast about her beauty, however, there is always someone greater. You must understand as you have met me, shrine maiden of a beautiful god. All who see me prostrate themselves before myself in honor of my sublime beauty. Now, you half-baked beauty, understand that your future is hopeless! Marry this 10,000 year napper and live a snug little life where the sun doesn’t shine!”
Murderous intent shot from Ferris’ body. Her eyes narrowed. “Hmph. Ryner, playtime is over. We’re capturing this vehement woman of a leader.”
The woman laughed. “Finally admitting your defeat, 10,000 year old dango girl? You cannot win against my shining beauty!”
With that, she threw her cloak away to reveal a familiar face. She wore a shrine maiden outfit, and to be frank, her inhuman beauty rivaled Ferris’. She had glossy black hair and charming blakc eyes, as well as a perfect body with smooth skin. She appeared to be about sixteen or seventeen years old. And Ryner knew her.
They’d met twice. She’d pretended to be a mountain goddess the first time and a sea goddess the second time, and both times she made a killing doing it. It looked like she was a shrine maiden this time… Apparently she was the leader of the so-called swindling organization too.
“Es—”
Ryner had tried to say her name, but he was interrupted.
“So you’ve finally decided to show yourself!” Vois said from where he’d been hidden just out of sight. “You, the reigning leader of the swindling organization that plagues our land - Estella Fiurelle!”
Ryner grimaced. “Haah? Hey, wait a sec. The hell is this? Vois, did you just call her a Fiurelle?”
“Hm, did I say something? What was it?”
“Don’t play dumb. Why’d you call her Fiure…”
Ryner’s voice trailed off. He looked at Vois. Then at Estella.
“…You guys have the same hair and eyes… and you’re both wearing shrine maiden outfits… Don’t tell me that you guys are…”
Vois nodded, not fighting it at all. “Yes, we’re siblings.”
“So this is just a sibling’s quarrel!?” Ryner yelled.
“No, it isn’t that simple,” Vois said with the shake of his head. “There was bad blood between her and the head of our group at the time, our grandma, so… Estella left our organization and created a large organization of her own, see. One that rivals the Fiurelle Group.”
“…So basically, she ran away from home.”
Vois took a grave expression. “As I said, it isn’t that simple. She was our grandmother’s enemy.”
“Wha!? Don’t tell me she killed her,” Ryner said, then looked back to Estella. She’d been glaring at Ferris for some time now, but…
“Hmph. But Vois,” Estella said, “Whatever happened to our grandmother, all but her head buried alive?”
“Oh, I became the leader instead,” Vois said as if Estella’s words didn’t concern him in the slightest. “She was too loud anyway.”
“You still haven’t dug her up!?”
“Oh, but fear not!” Vois said. “We never forget to feed her, so you don’t need to worry—”
“Anyone would worry! You don’t plan on ever digging her up, do you?” Ryner asked. “I’m adding ‘fear not’ to the list of words you clearly don’t know!”
Vois and Estella both opened their mouths and spoke as one.
““Well, enough talk of things nobody cares about.””
“That’s horrible! Ugh, I’m getting another headache… We never should have accepted another job from this guy. Anyway, I’m going home… Go ahead and have your sibling quarrel without me. Bye.”
With that, Ryner began to drag his fatigued body away.
“Heh. So you’re running away,” Estella said. “More proof that my beauty surpasses yours. Now, hurry and leave with thyne tail between—”
“Say that and it’ll just prolong—”
Ryner spoke too late. Ferris’ hand shot out and grabbed Ryner’s neck from behind. “Who exactly do you think would run from an opponent of her low-level beauty?”
“…This shit again…”
Ryner cursed the path that his life was taking.
Vois ignored Ryner no matter how tired of life he may be. “Now, please capture that incarnation of evil! I’ll bury her just like she buried our grandma! I’ll keep her like a hen that can’t lay eggs!”
“Seriously, don’t wrap me up in your problems…”
Ferris spoke next. “I’ll show you the power of a true… beauty… um… I’ll teach you a lesson…”
“Don’t say it if you’re just going to get embarrassed halfw—”
“Hmph. So you’re fighting,” Estella said. “It will be me versus you, the dead fish woman and her personal lackey and final weapon, the demon of legend! Come, my servants!”
“I’m begging you, so can someone just listen to me…?” Ryner asked pitifully, but the final blow was that no one did…
Five men with large, sturdy bags answered to Estella’s call. They turned their bags over with ease, and out came five familiar people, one per bag.
“What…”
It was Milk and the others. Ryner had once promised to marry her and stuff. One could say that his promise resulted in a demon sprouting from the legends it belonged to in order to obstinately chase him, a Taboo Hunter from Roland tracking a Taboo Breaker down.
“……”
What could he even say? He already had to deal with Ferris, Estella, and Vois, and now Milk was joining the fray.
“Ah, am I dreaming?” Ryner wondered. “Like, is this a ‘it was all a dream’ episode? That means that it won’t hurt if I pinch my cheek, right?” So he pinched it. “See? It doesn’t hurt. Aha. I’m so glad this is just a dream. Yeah, it’s just unrealistic that all the bad luck in the world would fall on me. Okay, I’m going to sleep now, so please no one wake me up.”
Ryner ignored the tingling pain in his cheek and did his best to escape reality. He tried to ignore everything around him, but…
Milk stirred. “Huh? Was that drink the reason why I suddenly got so dizzy? My whole body feels hot… It’s really weird.”
Next was that Lear guy. “Kgh. This is bad. It appears that an aphrodisiac and sleep medicine were mixed into that wine… Staying rational is tough. It sure would be bad if that man were here, because Chief…”
“Th-this is terrible,” Luke said.
“Uuh, do we have any water?” Milk asked. “My ears are pounding… Wh…”
Then she noticed Ryner, who was lying on the ground trying to escape reality.
“Ryneeeeerrrr I found youuuuu!!”
The voice of the devil echoed through the street.
Milk’s fingers immediately flitted through the air to cast large-scale destructive magi without a shred of hesitation.
“Augh, shit! Why are you always like this!?” Ryner yelled.
Estella forced laughter. “Now go, my final weapons! For the sake of your beautiful goddess’ shrine maiden, rout the supporting cas… t…”
Milk’s spell exploded in a gale, slamming against everyone in her vicinity, particularly those who were closest to her—Estella and Vois, first and foremost, then Estella’s believers, then Luke and Milk’s other subordinates…
“Mrgh! You dastardly dango woman!” Estella yelled as the storm took her away. “You’ve caught me off guard with this, coward! Thou had best live in fear of my world-shattering beauty; until next time!”
“…‘Until next time?’ Ryner repeated. “I’d really rather not see her again…”
Ferris nodded, somehow satisfied. “This is proof that that Estella girl is nothing but a supporting character. I am the beautiful protagonist who remains on the stage at the end…”
Ferris’ words trailed off. The storm of destruction hadn’t stopped. It was still expanding, slowly drawing closer, indiscriminately pulling people in and throwing them away.
“That’s our final issue,” Ferris said, as calm as ever. “Though it isn’t much of an issue for me.”
“Huh? Are you telling me that you can cancel Milk’s spell?” Ryner asked. “Even though you can’t use magic?”
Ferris nodded. “Because I’m the protagonist.”
“The hell? Oh, but if you can do it yourself, then that makes things easy for me. So how are you gonna do it?”
“Mm. Like this.” Ferris grabbed him by the collar, then pulled him down with all of her strength.
“Uwah!? Wait, what are you doing!?” Ryner tried asking, but it was no use. He couldn’t do anything to stop it. He was thrown straight into the storm.
“Ah!” Milk said once he came into view. “I found youuu, Ryner!”
For some reason, she jumped right into the gale with him.
“Kyaahh!”
Ryner was past the point of being shocked at the absurdity happening around him. Now he was just exhausted. “Ahh, so that’s what she meant. Personally, though, I really hate the concept of me being a character in a story that she’s the protagonist in… Uwah, Milk!? Gyaahh!”
And so the two disappeared within the storm…
---
Several hours later, in the destroyed corner of the harbor, Ryner and Milk were laying on top of each other, knocked out cold, the pink stone beside them…
Does that mean that it worked?
